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As we all beauty fellows know sunscreen is one of
the most important preventive anti-aging skincare. I always try to use it daily
under my makeup, but I have to admit that despite how important it is, sometimes I just forget to apply it daily. Over the years I tried various Asian
sunscreens. One of them is the the Hera Sun Mate Leports. Most of the sunscreens I have tried before were Japanese
(e.g. see review Biore), but I like the Hera brand and I'm happy I tried it out.

I finally found the time to write a post again.
I had to take a break from blogging, but I did not stop using and discovering Asian beauty products. Now there will be more in the future.

The Seam is a Korean beauty brand that started in 2010. Seam means spring water
of beauty in Korean. The company promotes itself as eco-friendly, very similar to
Innsifree. I have to admit that even the packing is similar to the brand.

Hey there kbeauty followers! I didn't really have time to blog this month, so much work and change in life circumstances don't leave much time for my kbeauty obsession, but I'm back now and I plan to invest more time into by blog, miss the excitement I I get from blogging.

I have previously reviewing the s:um37 time energy emulsion, if you have read it then you know about my love for s:um37, its the Korean brand to go for if you are looking for fermented skincare. S:um37 time energy emulsion is probably my favorite emulsion, I not using it right now but will defiantly stock up fro the future. I have used the emulsion and cream together, now its only the cream. So today is time for part two, I will be reviewing the sum37 cream....

I have very short straight eyelashes. In the past I have tried everything, from curl mascaras to eyelash serums but nothing seemed to work. If you would have asked me a few years back if there was an easy way to fix that, I would say no, eyelash curlers don't work they just hurt eyelashes and pinch the skin.

I remember the days when I thought using facial and cleansing oils was the worst thing I could do to my sensitive acne prone skin. Even after starting a Korean skincare routine I was still scared to give the double cleansing method a try. Post-kbeauty time; I changed my entry skincare routine, had everything from ampoules to sheet masks, the only thing missing was a cleansing oil. My skin condition improved a lot but clogged pores and blackheads were still an issue. After reading so much about it and hearing all the rave stories I decided that’s it’s time to introduce double cleansing, I was always planning on doing it just needed time to get used to the idea of oil on my face. Now I can tell you my skin never felt better before.

Double cleansing is very popular in Asian and has slowly made its way into the west. It’s a two-step process that includes an oil-based cleanser as step one followed by a water-based cleanser. The underlying idea of it is that an oil-based cleanser draws out oil debris (from makeup, sunscreen etc.). This would not be as effective with a regular water-based cleanser, as we all know water and oil don’t mix.

The double cleansing oil method helped me to balance oil-moist levels of my skin, I don't need to wipe anymore with x cotton pads to get all the make up off. In this post I will bet reviewing my favorite oil cleanser at the moment, the Sulwhasoo gentle cleansing oil.

Sulwhasoo Gentle Cleansing Oil

Sulwahsoo describes it as a cleansing oil formulated with traditional Korean herbs, that gently removes makeup and skin impurities. You might know by now that I love all things Sulwhasoo, their products never disappoint me. I was excited seeing the ingredients list, so many herbal extracts and natural oils. However, this might be a problem for folks with very sensitive skin.

Running the formula through Cosdna we get a few red flags. Isopropyl palmitaed a derivate of coconut oil rated as 4 for acne and 1 for irritant. I don’t like coconut oil in skincare and I remember some products with Isopropyl palmitaed causing problems for me. Luckily, I didn’t experience any issues, I believe now its all in the formulation, or the ingredient never broke me out and it was something else. Skin is YMMV so always patch test first or get some samples. For example mineral oil based cleansing oils seem to break me out, while it works just fine for others who have troubled skin.

Packaging

The cleansing oil comes in a plastic bottle with a pump, containing 200 ml. The design is pretty ‘sulwhasoo hangban’ style. I like the sophisticated look and the pump can be rotated to close it.

Application

This is the first step of my skincare routine followed by a regular cleanser and/or micellar cleansing water. I use this oil during my AM and PM routine, about 1-2 pumps for my entire face. I know some prefer to use cleansing oils only for the night time routine, but I find that it mask my skin more hydrating and clean in the morning. I massage the oil on dry skin using a little bit water to emulsify it. It smells divine, it’s the famous ‘sulwhasoo hangbang’ scent. The formula is runny and has a milky clear color.

Performance

I have been using this oil cleanser over 6 months now, I
first tried a sample bottle of 50ml from ebay before buying the full size
200ml. The first thing I noticed is how hydrated my face felt afterwards. After 2-3 weeks first blackheads and raised
bumps started to disappear (were still there despite using actives), I even
felt some small greets coming out when
messaging the oil. I know it sounds gross but that was very satisfying. Breakouts
became less and less frequent, I’m now basically acne free. The formula also feel
very luxurious, there is something about the scent and texture. In the meanwhile I have tried some other
Asian oil cleanser, a few broke me out
but most were okay or good. Still, the Sulwahsoo is my favorite and I love all
the hangbang ingredients.

Final thoughts

The major change I see in my skin condition comes from the double cleansing method itself, so you can try any
other cleansing oil if you are not using one yet. Even if you have oily skin I would recommend
one. We used to think that putting oil on oily/combination skin would make acne problems
worse, but it’s the opposite. An oil based cleanser will react with oil
residues on your skin and balance the skins oil balance. Its also a perfect
choice for dry skin types as it hydrates skin.

The double cleanings oil method really changed my skin , I'm never going back to the old days. Wiping my skin with numerous cotton pads to get all
the make up off is in the past.

The Sulwahsoo Oil cleanser doesn't come cheap at around 35-40$, so it’s a
splurge. As said you can try cheaper cleansing oils, I will review more in the
future.

If I had the choice to just use one essence for an entire
year then it would be the LJH tea tree 90 essence. LJH is a Korean brand
that calls itself the “fist Doctors Cosmetics” in Korea, a new concept of doctor’s cosmetics which combines cosmetics and medicine. The brand was
established by the dermatologist Leejiham in 2000, the company has also dermatology clinics headquartered in Seoul.

Sunscreens have become an important part of my 'skincare wardrobe'. Since, starting my Asian beauty journey I realized how dangerous sun exposure can be and how important sun protection is There is no better anti aging cream than a sunscreen (early prevention). I’m someone who loves the sun and spending some time on the beach, but now you will often find me in the shadow with a big hat, and of course at that moment there must be a water-resistant sunscreen for outdoor activities in my bag. I reviewed the Biore UV Perfect Milk (for face and body) blue version before (link), which I really liked as a summer sunscreen in humid weather etc. The different variants of the Biore perfect line seemed to be identical but I still needed to try them out to compare. I got the pink version, the Biore UV Bright Face Milk spf50.